To Be A Leader
by Borrowed Twenties
Summary: To be a leader is not an easy task, not even for our favourite leader. A series of one-shots about what Jay thinks of his duties and the different things concerning them. JxT at the third chapter. Complete.
1. To Save the World

Hello, this is my second fic so far. Okay, so this fic is going to be a short one-shot about our favourite leader. Yep, you've guessed it - Jay! This is about the need to save the world and blah blah blah. Please review, it would make my day brighter than it was before. No writer hates reviews. Hmm, please let me know whether I should continue or not - I have in mind some ideas about other one-shots I could write about our favourite leader as well, some, hmm, involving his friends and his, ahem, one true love... So please review and let me know what you think and whether I should continue!

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Class of the Titans. Well, unfortunately.

**To Save the World**

It was clear and vivid in his mind, as clear as though it was just yesterday. That incident that sparked everything.

It had been a cool, windy morning, the perfect day to go sailing. The skies were an azure blue, fluffy clouds drifted above and the sea was relatively calm and the waves peaceful.

He was sailing - in fact, a sailing instructor to be exact. Leading a bunch of kids to sail was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable jobs ever.

And then, something happened that would change everything.

A huge, towering giant appeared. Menacing, tall and ugly, it had tried to catch him. Fortunately, he had been saved by a looney-looking man (sorry, Hermes) and his winged creature - a griffen.

And it was explained to him he was part of a team, 7 heroes that would save the earth from destruction. And he, would be their leader.

It all seemed ridiculous to him at first. He, a leader? And the god of time, Cronus, was somewhere out there, roaming around and plotting to send the earth to ruins? What a ludicrous idea! His mother might be a Greek, and he might have partially believed in her mythology stories, but this was plain crazy.

But one look at Cronus and his giants dispelled all doubts immediately.

And soon, before he knew it, he was being turned from a reluctant believer to a responsible leader.

The weight of the world was on his shoulders alone. He had to do this well. If he messed up, or let one tiny slip... Cronus might seize this opportunity to take over the world, to throw it into chaos...

Probably no one knew of his terrifying nightmares of which he would wake up, gasping and heart wrenched with fear. Courage, yes he had, but did he have those leadership qualities that his team needed?

Sometimes, the answer was really no.

He'd made mistakes before, big ones and small ones. He would never be good enough to be a leader. It was always his fault that something happened and Cronus got away, or when he'd threw his sword and missed, or when he led his own friends into one of Cronus' sneaky traps. He was, however, grateful for his good friends. They always saved the day, made everything better, while he, on the other hand, stumbled and made everything worse.

Even Neil himself - he had gotten them out of some sticky situations. But him? Nothing. He could sit and think for all day and still not come up with some memory of him mending a predicament they've gotten themselves into. Really, he never contributed much.

All of them had special gifts too - Atlanta was fast, Archie and Theresa could fight, Herry had the brawns and Odie had the brains. Oh, and Neil - he had all the luck. And yet... He had none.

He still remembered vividly the times where he tried to fight back but got knocked away like a small fry while the others charged forward and did some damage.

There were times where he felt useless, weak, powerless - unfitting to be part of the team he had come to love.

But although he wasn't such a good leader, he knew they were friends for life, and nothing could change that.

Now, all he had to do was improve on those leadership skills...


	2. To Protect the Friends

Here's the 2nd chapter. It's how Jay views his friends in terms of his duties as a leader. I know this is starting to sound very repetitive, I'm so sorry. I kinda wrote nonsense for this chapter because I didn't really have a goal to reach. It's not organized at all, either - it's very messy and the order's all warped. Oops. Sorry, I shall post a better fic next time.

Oh yes, and the next one will be about something most of you like - Theresa! And finally you get to see what Jay really thinks about Theresa - in terms of his leadership roles, of course. Yep, it's boringly repetitive, but what can I say? It's the title of the overall story anyway.

**To Protect The Friends**

Among all the important things he valued like sailing, there was none he cared about more than his friends. They've been through thick and thin, battled Cronus together and tackled problems big and small.

There was nothing more he liked than to spend a fun-filled night by camping in the woods with them, or going to see a movie together. They were the best friends anyone could ever have, and they were practically inseparable. Even Neil - yes, he treated him like one of them, even though he might seem so egoistic and narcisstic. Anyway, Neil was a worthy friend, too - when all of them but Neil lost their memories, Neil went to "save" them and even gave up his designer shoes and expensive shirt.

After getting to know them, he really couldn't imagine a day without them.

They were so precious to him that he took it as his own duty to protect them, to help them. After all, he was their leader, wasn't he? It was his responsibility to look after them.

Even if he wasn't their leader, he would still treat them the same way. He never let down his friends.

Whenever they got a scratch or a bruise, or sustained injuries, whether minor or major, he would feel a twinge of guilt for not preventing it. What kind of a leader was he? A lousy one, really. No matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to be able to stop them from getting wounded. And it was all because of him. He didn't lead them well enough. A true leader would be able to protect his friends, his loyal companions, yet he was always failing in this. What was wrong with him?

He would never forgive himself if something happened to them. Any one of them. All of them were precious in his own sight, even though they might be different.

His friends told him to loosen up, especially Theresa. Something about being too tense and edgy. But that wasn't true. Cronus was on the loose. How could he rest on his laurels? Anyway, it was _his_ responsibility to worry about when Cronus would strike next, not theirs. However great friends they were, they would never understand - the burden of being a leader, of having to worry about the team's every next move, was almost a painful one. But he would never have regretted his decision of staying, nor traded this for a normal life, for this was his destiny. A destiny that led him to find 6 treasured friends who always stood by him and supported him no matter what. Wasn't that a great destiny, really?

They trusted him. They believed in him. They supported him. And he had to live up to it.

He had to live up to what they needed in him. What the world needed in him. He needed to be there for them. He needed to protect them.

And he would.

And he knew whatever troubles Cronus might bring, his friends would also be there, right next to him, ready to stand by his side, fight and defend the world alongside with him. Now, wasn't that encouraging? He wasn't fighting this battle alone. No, he wasn't walking a one-man road. They were with him. And he felt heartened by that fact.

Now, he only he could keep them safe...

And he promised that he would do everything in his power to protect them.


	3. To Hide the Feelings

Lalala, the 3rd chapter is finally up! :D Does anyone think I should continue? I can think of other cool things that a leader should do but I'm not really getting much reviews... Well only except for two, anyway. Sigh. Maybe everyone loves those romance stories. Hmm, well, that's good, because this chapter is all about Jay... And Theresa. And now you get to see what he thinks of her! And no, he's not THAT oblivious, please. Well, but maybe a tad bit. xD Okay, so here's the story...

**To Hide The Feelings**

He knew that all of his friends thought he was a clueless, oblivious guy. He never seemed to know that Theresa liked him. A lot.

Or did he?

He wasn't as, ahem, dumb as they thought him to be. Anyway, he was their leader. Leaders weren't dumb, were they? He might be a terrible leader, but he sure wasn't a dumb one.

He did know.

She was forever by his side, caring for him, teasing him... They were closer than he was to Atlanta or she to Archie and vice versa. Of course no one would be slow-minded enough not to notice that she kinda liked him. And it was really sweet of it, but...

He couldn't date her.

No, it wasn't that he didn't return her feelings. He well and truly did. He yearned to go out with her, he did.

But he couldn't.

It would be irresponsible of him. Being a leader, there was so much to consider. There were many bad things that could happen if he got together with her, and he certainly didn't want that happening - especially not to her. It was out of concern that he painstakingly stopped himself everytime she smiled at him - oh, that beautiful smile - or sat alongside to him, talking about more personal matters. He knew she was probably fed up with him by now for not taking any of the hints she dropped. Maybe she would just give up on him and move on. After all, it was only fair - he wasn't doing anything but act like a ninconpoop. But it was for her own sake, her own good, and he would just have to take the heartbreak the day she moved on.

Sometimes, he wished he could go up to her and tell her he loved her. But he couldn't. There were various factors that scared him just by thinking of them. For one, if they started dating, Cronus might seize this opportunity to harm him emotionally by attacking Theresa constantly. He'd rather Cronus attack _him_ than have her injured. If she got injured... And all because of him, too... That would be horrible. He couldn't let her fall into that kind of danger. No way! That was out of the question.

Also, this might be a distraction. When he let down his guard, Cronus was sure to jump up and try to trick them into one of his evil schemes again. Now, _that_ would be far worse. This not only implicated him and Theresa but also the entire team. Hmm, and not only that. There were the gods - they'd be doomed if these 7 heroes were destroyed. Oh no, not to mention the earth as well.

There were a number of other reasons he could think of. In fact, just thinking about asking her out would trigger his on-the-defensive brain to automatically list out every single reason. And so far, he'd already written 85 of them on a piece of paper. And yes, there were more.

Frankly speaking, he liked everything about her. Theresa. She was nice, sweet and talented. Hmm, not to mention pretty. But she was quite smart too, and she was witty, funny and kind. She also could fight, whereas all he could do was pathetically wield his sword. There were a number of reasons he liked her, but he had never written them down. Because that might be the last straw that would sent him running to her room, breathless, knocking on her door and waiting for her to open it so he could finally confess his feelings for her.

So, when he was alone in his room... When he gazed up at his ceiling... When he thought of finally succumbing to the overwhelming desire to ask her... He would sigh, pull open his bottom-most drawer and pull out that piece of paper and look at all the reasons and remind himself of why he shouldn't try.

Cronus. It was all Cronus' fault. He was stopping virtually everything.

And he knew the minute Cronus was defeated, he would most definitely TELL her. Yes.

But until then, he would just have to be patient and wait... And hopefully she would, too...


	4. To Stop the God of Time

Finally. An update. Sorry for my long absence on this story; somehow, my creative juices stopped flowing for a while for this story. What was once a huge amount of ideas regarding this story was reduced to nothing suddenly. Okays, so let me begin the last chapter of this bunch of one-shots. Well, that is, unless I think of something and return to post another chapter again someday. Rather short, this chapter is, but never mind. It kind-of relates to the earlier chapters, so you'll see the linking of the ideas and a little bit of repetition. I hope you don't mind!

A little note: I've just watched Dreamweaver and Mother Knows Best just a while ago and they so totally rock! I'm going to write a series of very random one-shots on the characters and their thinking of the different situations from both shows. And even Granny. So stay tuned!

Last note, Becky Sky suggested I write something like 'To Be a Brawn', 'To Be a Hunter', etc, but I think I'll only select 4 characters to write about. Problem is I don't know who to write about, so if you would go to my profile to vote in the poll, I would really, really appreciate it. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Class of the Titans, but I sure wished I did!

**To Stop the God of Time**

Cronus. The God of Time.

He may have other priorities, but this one came first. Cronus was the reason why he kept going on, why he tried his best to save the world, protect his friends and hide his feelings for a certain orange-haired girl.

Initially, he had been repulsed with the idea of leading a team of seven heroes to save the world. He knew he was no leader, just an average guy who was a sailing instructor, with absolutely no skills at all. However, his first encounter with the chilling God of Time led him to fear - fear for himself, fear for the world. The memory of that encounter had never been erased - the overwhelming fear that coursed through his body the second he set his eyes on Cronus, the chilling sensation. He still remembered it as clear as day - and next, he had turned tail and ran, afraid to be caught, alone, without any back-up.

Now, the feeling of fear had slowly vanished, but his determination to put Cronus behind bars had seemingly increased tenfold. The world was in danger. There was no time to play the chicken. He might not have had any worthy talent to stop him, but he sure would do his best.

He didn't know where the sense of responsibility came from, but he knew it roughly started in his second encounter with Cronus. He had been with Herry and Atlanta, and the three of them had struggled against the odds with the giants and Cronus. It had been fear, fear of Cronus that had clutched him, wrapped him tight. However, as he stood in front of Cronus, that cruelness, that desire to rule, in Cronus' eyes... It turned away his fears, changed it into something else. A burning flame had ignited within him, as though it was calling him to step out and be a hero. And he did.

Along with that passion came along the courage to go up against the seemingly invincible God of Time. Courage.

He never his friends called him a responsibility maniac, and he understood why, but he also understood the fact that they would never be able to put themselves in his shoes. For one, this was a duty so heavy that it affected the world. All of them played a part in bringing down Cronus, but he - he was the leader. He was supposed to guide them with courage, come up with super plans, stop chaos from ensuing, not let down the gods and not make any mistakes. He wasn't saying he was the most important in the team. No, he wasn't. They were all equal. They were all needed, even Neil, to aid in the defeat of the evil god. But he knew this duty was assigned to him, and no one could fill in for him; he knew his values and what needed to be done. Neil had practically destroyed the team when he had been leader, but that didn't mean that _he_ was any better. All he knew was that he had to try his best and pray hard that he didn't ruin this.

He knew, too, that sometimes he became a control freak, stressing about every single tiny detail. But this was because this was Cronus they were talking here. Cronus, the almost un-defeatable God of Time. But he also knew that that didn't make it right to tire out his friends by forcing them to train non-stop and take away their sleep time. He was too hard on them at times, and he acknowledged that, and he apologised for that, too. But they didn't know the half of his problems - a leader never had it good.

He knew that some of his team sometimes thought him cold and calculative - the time when Atlanta had fallen into Tantalus' pit, all he shouted was that they had to get Atlanta back before all of them was doomed, making it seem as though he cared only for the togetherness of the team. Once the team didn't consist of 7 heroes, the prophecy would be broken - no longer would they win but Cronus would, indeed, be the victor. While he cared about that, too, he cared more about the welfare of Atlanta - in fact, _everyone_. It wasn't that he just wanted the elasticity of the group, but he cared about each and everyone of them and how they were doing and everything. They were his friends, not his tools that he used to put Cronus away. His friends.

Maybe one of the reasons he tried so hard to send Cronus back to Tartarus was because everything he cared about in the world was at stake. Cronus was going to destroy the whole earth if no one did anything about it. His parents, his sailing students back at home, his friends and even Theresa - everything he loved and cared about might be taken away in a blink of an eye. It would be washed away, and then only the evil god would remain, left on the face of the world. Evil would reign and chaos would triumph and wipe away all that he treasured and thought precious. That was why he tried so hard, so hard.

It wasn't easy to be a leader, and with all those things he needed to remember, it just made it worse, not any easier. However, he knew to do this job was his destiny. And he would fight to the very end, till the day Cronus is no longer a threat to society.

And this, is his top priority.


	5. To Balance the Life

Aha! A new idea sprung to my mind last night after I was looking at 5-year-old Jay in the COTT director's blog. Aww, so cute!! :D

Anyway, here is the supposedly last chapter of this fic. Thanks for all the reviews and everything, and I would love you tons if you write more (reviews I mean). Thanks guys! This is a random, unfitting chapter. Sorry, seems so not Jay here.

**To Balance The Life**

So many things to do, yet so little time.

He had always been a rather carefree teenager, one with the straight As and the obedient son. He could always go sailing every single day if he wanted, and he had nothing to worry about - well, besides the occasional homework, that is.

But now, everything had changed, he was left to juggle his ever-increasing duties.

He was one of the slightly-higher-than-average students in Olympia High, but he had an alter-ego, just like the others - he was one of the seven teenagers destined to save the world from destruction and bring down the evil god of time, Cronus. And he, was the leader.

Now, he had to maintain his always no-blemish report card, finish his piles of homework that the teachers threw at him, his responsibilites as a leader, running after Cronus and destroying his plans, go sailing and hang out with his friends. Oh yes, and talk to his parents and assure him he was completely fine and coping well there. Oh, if only they knew the half of the danger he was getting into almost every day - they would have freaked and demanded he come back for sure.

First, school. Every morning, he would drag himself out of bed, get a bite from breakfast, walk leisurely to school (since he was never late - it came with the values his parents had raised him to believe in), finish the last bit of homework he had left unfinished the night before from the energy-draining battle with Cronus and get himself to class on time. After barely avoiding sleeping (and dreaming of a certain someone), he would go off to reccess, which would be mainly spent on eating and mugging for his coming barrage of exams, which never seemed to end, and then cramming as much information as he could into his tired brain, he would rush to class. Then came more enduring through the somewhat overbearingly boring classes. And then... End of school. He would go back to the dorm with his friends, study or come up with plans to defeat Cronus and then receive a call from Odie that Cronus was wreaking havoc again. And wow, he would have to organise the team and go against Cronus again. Oh, and did he mention doing the laundry for Athena? Or coaching his friends on some tough subjects?

All in a day's work for a poor, strained leader like him.

Everyday was a monotony. He did like learning, he did, but then with so much on the brain, how could he even chill out?

School - He did well in school, especially in Physics and Literature. Well, at least he tried. However, it was always a chore to sit through the classes; after being attacked by Cronus and having late nights all year round, it was physically and mentally draining for even the toughest leader. Classes differed - some were boring, some were interesting, but no matter how engaging the teacher might be, he would feel himself dozing off again. That was the kind of thing that happens when you have a lack of sleep.

Mug - Mugging used to be fun for him, for he had a rather good memory, but now it became, too, a chore. And Biology, just the thought of it made him close his eyes and sigh at the difficulty of the subject. Thankfully, he still manage to cinch high As for it, but he nowhere near enjoyed it. Who in his right mind would want to mug after leaping to and fro to dodge skillful attacks with aching bones? No way.

Homework - If there's one thing the teachers did, it was to pummel the students into the ground with tons of homework. Everyday, he got at least three pieces of homework from each subject. That was borderlining insanity - how could anyone take that much? It seemed that in the end all of them could, only some had to work harder than others, especially the seven of them. Some of the normal students didn't even complete all their homework, but Jay - he wasn't considered an overachiever, but he prided himself in doing the best he could in everything, and so he tried his best to keep up, which he had been able to so far.

Relationships - How he even managed to squeeze out time to go chill out with his friends, he had no idea. Because of Cronus, too, he couldn't even reveal his feelings to a certain someone, nor could he deepen their relationship. Oh the torture. And then there was his parents - always eager to hear from him and to see how he was doing and how his grades were keeping up. He used to be very, very close with his mother, but now they were slowly drifting apart because he could hardly find the time to have a little chat with her. That made him rather wistful of those times when his family used to be very close-knitted, but he couldn't change that. And he obviously couldn't tell them that he spent half of his time fighting an evil god and his giants, could he?

Training - Oh yes, he forgot the training. He and the others had to train frequently. They had greatly improved from the time they first met, yes, they had. But it served as a painful but silent reminder about all the gifts and special talents they had - that he didn't. Looking at them jump, do impressive kicks and everything made him feel withdrawn and inferior - not that he'd tell anyone. He didn't know if they knew, but sometimes he didn't feel like part of the team, and that was one of the instances where he felt empty and cast out.

And this was the life of a leader.

Being a leader was never easy, always trying to live up to the expectations of everyone else, be a good student and maintain his good relationships and build new ones. What was he, an automaton who mindlessly did chores to perfection?

But this was who he was, and he could not deny his destiny.

A leader would have to balance his life, struggling or not, and try. Try his best. And try to _be_ the best.

Just like him.


End file.
